


Let us redo

by cherrytruck



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Cheating, Did I mention drama, Drama, End of the World, Hurt, M/M, Possible Character Death, Reconciliation, a lot of drama, gosh I chose some scary tags but it's not that bad, lots of mentions of violence and death, originshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 15:36:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2275173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrytruck/pseuds/cherrytruck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Steven broke Wallace's trust, Wallace finds himself at a loss and a journey of emotional storms in an attempt to rebuild his life. An alternate, extended ending to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2259684/chapters/4961373">Water Stones</a> by <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/Heiri_XQR/">Heiri_XQR</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Severed bonds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Heiri_XQR (XQR)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/XQR/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Water Stones](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259684) by [XQR](https://archiveofourown.org/users/XQR/pseuds/XQR). 



Wallace sat on his bed in the dark, alone in his hotel room in Driftveil, not believing that the end to such a grand event would be like this. He couldn’t fall asleep with the storm of emotions happening inside of his head, and it took him a lot of self-control not to throw something. No, even the furniture should have been spared some mercy - the only person who deserved any hurting at that moment was Steven. After declaring his commitment, his love - how could he break Wallace’s trust like this?

“Wallace!” A familiar voice came from the door, and an all-too familiar face to go with it. It was something that normally would have made Wallace brighten up from seeing, but right now, all it did was fill him with dread.

Wallace barely managed to open his mouth with his dry lips. “Hello, Steven.”

“Are you all right? I was worried about you. And, how come you’re sitting like this in the dark?” Steven turned the lights on, which Wallace knew was done out of good manners, but despite that, his face reacted bitterly, covering his eyes from the shock of the sudden light.

No, Wallace wasn’t all right. The two of them had booked this hotel room together with the intention of being able to spend time after the World Tournament was over. For Wallace, once he had finished competing, the only thing he wanted to do was collapse into bed alongside Steven and snuggle to sleep. But no, it couldn’t be like that. Instead Steven somehow ended up walking into someone else’s room and decided to spend the night with them for goodness knows what reason. Had he been unfaithful all along? Did he only come to the Pokemon World Tournament to meet them?

“Wallace?” It had occurred to him that he had been awkwardly silent for a while, lost in his thoughts. It was so difficult for him to look at Steven’s face, the fact that he looked so genuinely worried, and yet, this was the man who betrayed his trust, just like that.

Wallace looked up, trying to hold back tears - but it was hopeless. It was obvious how this was going to play out.

“I know what happened, Steven. I saw everything.”

“Wallace…” Steven covered his face, and kneeled down in front of the other man pathetically. “I don’t know what to say for myself. I-I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I could have done something so stupid. I’m so sorry, Wallace. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“I don’t believe it either,” Wallace coldly replied, not willing to make this any easier for Steven.

“I...I know it’s no excuse, but I had a drink too many, and I-I wasn’t thinking…”

“Oh my God.” Wallace laughed cruelly. “You can’t seriously be pulling off that excuse on me.”

“No, I know, it’s not an excuse, it’s just...I felt you deserved an explanation at least!”

“What, were you so drunk that you were coerced?”

“No!! Wallace, that’s not it…”

“Then that’s not an explanation. You agreed to do it. You’re a fucking asshole. That’s the explanation.”

Steven held on softly to Wallace’s hands, which all he could feel was unsettling and uncomfortable from all the cold sweat rubbing between them. “Wallace, I know, I made such a horrible mistake...I can’t ever forgive myself for what I did. I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. I don’t know what I was thinking…” Steven tried to tighten his grip onto Wallace, but it only made him pull his hands away.

Wallace continued to give a cold silence, trying to contain himself from doing anything that might end up hurting Steven. But why should he? Steven had hurt him more than anything in his life has ever done so. Punching him would have been nothing compared to this.

“Wallace...I want you to know, I still love you, and I will always love you. I can’t imagine my life without you, Wallace…”

“Well, you managed to do so while you were too busy fucking Cynthia.”

“Wallace, that was just...look, it meant nothing to me, all right?! She can’t compare to you…”

Wallace screamed, pushing Steven away. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?! That you’d happily bed a woman while feeling absolutely nothing about her? And you have the nerve to compare her performance with others! Perhaps you’ve also fucked me while thinking it meant nothing to you. Huh? So is that how it’s been all this time?”

“No! Wallace, I mean…look, she knew it was a one-time thing and...ugh, I’m not making this any better for myself, am I?” Wallace could only look on as Steven had curled himself up, still on the floor. Good. It was starting to become sadistically satisfying to see him suffer like this.

“She didn’t know about us, did she?”

Steven could only let out a weak gasp. It seemed like he was about to cry as well.

“I thought not.” Wallace got up from his bed and turned his back to Steven as he decided he preferred to look at the view outside the window. It didn’t help that the window was so clean that he could see his own reflection, looking like an emotional mess.

“Wallace...please, I want to make it up to you. Please, is there anything I can do for you? Tell me what you’re thinking...what you want…”

“I want to snap your neck,” Wallace said with a taste of venom. He was surprised he said something so violent, and a second later he realized he didn’t mean it. Perhaps he just felt like giving Steven the same amount of pain he was feeling. He had never spoken to anyone like this before - he couldn’t believe he was saying it to Steven of all people. He should have apologized for the uncalled remark, but his bitterness held him back from doing so.

“Please...Wallace.” Steven had gotten up from the floor and stood behind Wallace, wrapping his arms around him. “Wallace...I love you so much. I’m so sorry...you know I feel so lucky to be with you, you know that? You are the only one to have made me feel so in love. I feel so happy being with you...seeing your bright eyes, your beautiful face…”

For a moment, Wallace felt comfort in this. The feeling of Steven surrounding him like this was beautiful, and made him think of the older times where they shared their moments together. He wished he could stay like this and forget anything had ever happened. But that wasn’t going to be the case. No amount of hugging and compliments would erase the painful thought of Steven betraying him, for such a trivial encounter with an unfortunate Cynthia, who no doubt was also betrayed by Steven’s lack of feelings towards her.

Just then, Steven placed a kiss on Wallace’s neck.

“No! Let go of me!” Wallace was about to fight Steven off of him, but luckily Steven complied. Wallace turned around, knowing his face must looked a mess with his tears messing up his makeup. “I don’t care! I don’t care how you feel because you didn’t consider how I’D be hurt by your stupid actions! I can’t trust you anymore, Steven…” Sobbing, Wallace took off his cape and threw it onto Steven’s feet. “I don’t want this. You can take it back and give it to your next trophy partner to stain on it.”

“Wallace…” Steven bent down to pick up the cape, carefully folding it in his arms. “I never viewed you in that way. I love you. I don’t want to be with anyone else.” He appeared to be snuggling the cape - probably the closest thing to Wallace he’d ever get from now on. “I...I don’t blame you if you don’t want to see me anymore, but I really want to work things out between us. I really do.”

“It’s over.” Wallace stood there stiffly, no longer trying to wipe away tears from his face. “I don’t ever want to see you again.” He then went over to the desk next to their bed, picking up the Pokeballs that Steven had left behind in their room, and carefully placed them on top of the neatly folded cape that Steven held - he couldn’t bring it to himself to be bitter towards his Pokemon, no matter how much he now hated their trainer. “Goodbye, Steven.”

Steven looked in shock. “You...you really don’t want to see me again?”

“No.” Wallace exhaled, keeping up with his cold tone. “There’s nothing more to say. Please leave.”

It took a while for Steven to come to acceptance with this - perhaps he still hadn’t. But he took the hint and slowly left the room, though not before giving one last sad look to Wallace.

As the other man left, Wallace decided that there would be one less number on his contacts list.


	2. Always there for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace has a post-breakup day out with a dear friend to help him get the hurt out of his mind.

“I’m so sorry about what happened,” Winona said, with an unusually large amount of ice cream melting in her pot. Normally she’d have eaten it all up in one go. This time it was Wallace who was the one who quickly finished eating. They were back in Hoenn now, done with all the buzz surrounding the recent World Tournament. Despite being back in their home region, Wallace had not spoken to Steven since returning. He took an indefinite break from being the Champion, mainly to avoid having to see his ex. His Pokenav was constantly ringing with a number he unfortunately memorized as being Steven’s, despite having gotten rid of his contact details. Of course, he never picked up. Maybe he ought to turn the thing off. He wasn’t sure how to block callers, but it would have been awkward to go up to Mr Stone to ask how he could block his own son’s number. Wallace growled and turned his Pokenav off.

“Thank you so much for hearing me out. You’re a really good friend and probably one of the few reasons I haven’t jumped off a cliff yet.”

“Wallace, don’t be like that! Look, I know, it must hurt...and, you know, I feel so bad pushing you on like this. I’m thinking maybe it’s my fault I made the two of you rush…”

“No, it’s not your fault at all.” Wallace placed his hand on Winona’s. “You did a great thing for us. It’s Steven’s fault for fucking it up even though everything was given to him in a perfect state.”

Winona sighed. “Thanks…but you know it’s not your fault either, right? So stop being so harsh on yourself, you deserve much better and only to be happy.” The girl tried to scoop up her melted ice cream, though it was clear that it wasn’t quite so enjoyable for her anymore. “So, how about we go shopping together? It’s been a while since I’ve shopped at all the floors of the Lilycove Department Store. Maybe they have discounts happening today?!”

“Maybe.” Wallace found himself smiling for once. “But why would you care for discounts? It’s not like finance is such a big deal where we live. You could probably afford everything there a hundred times over and still be left with half your money.”

“Maybe YOU, because you’re…” Winona gasped and stopped herself. “...no! No! I’m so sorry! Forget I said that…”

“Huh?” Wallace was confused - what was she going to say? ...oh. Of course. Wallace was able to enjoy the luxury of being richer than most other trainers thanks to the financial support Steven had previously given him. Too bad that was gone now. “Oh, hey. Don’t worry about it, Winona. I’m sure I still have some of his money I can go crash-spending on. What a good idea! Let’s go see what they have on sale then, huh?”

They both went into the department store, still holding hands together. It wasn’t supposed to be any kind of rebound relationship they were trying because giving another woman sub-par treatment was the last thing he wanted, and Winona knew that. It just felt comforting to be able to platonically find physical comfort in someone he could still trust.

The pair browsed around, purchasing the usual essentials before moving up the floors, until they found the furniture and decoration department. Winona was seen buying herself a few Swablu dolls. It was a nice and cute sight to see.

“So Wallace, do you have a secret base?”

“Hm. Now that you mention it, I don’t.” He had become too used to either living in the leagues or some other luxurious form of residence...no thanks to Steven. Wallace shook his head, trying to remember that this friend-date was supposed to make him forget about that bastard.

“Well, if you want, you can come visit mine. Actually, I wonder why I’ve never invited you before? You’ve got to see it! I’ve decorated it so nicely, I think you’ll like it!”

“I’m sure I will.”

“So, are you thinking of making your own secret base? It’s real fun!”

It would probably come in handy. “Sure, why not? You’ll need to give me some help and pointers on how to build and decorate one, however.”

“No problem! Here, I bought this for you!” Winona handed over a doll resembling Marill. “Um...I know you probably don’t have Marill in your team, but I figured it’s a water-type! And it looks cute, right?”

“Oh! You shouldn’t have.” Wallace found himself surprisingly attached to the doll, and he immediately cuddled it. “Thank you so much, Winona. I love it!”

“I’m so glad you do!” Winona placed the rest of her accessories in her shopping bags and picked them up. “So, do we go upstairs for some cheap vending machine drinks…?”

“Nah, I already have a lot of fresh water as it is.” Wallace laughed. “I think that’s enough shopping for now. We’ve seen all that there is, right?”

The two took the elevator down all the way to the first floor. When they stepped out however, there seemed to be a crowd gathering over some kind of event that certainly wasn’t set up there when they first stepped into the store.

“Step right up and enter the Pokemon Lottery!” One of the staff members was shouting on top of the desk. “The grand prize is a Master Ball - could YOU be the lucky winner?”

“Ooh! A lottery contest! Wallace, do you want to enter?” Winona looked quite excited. Wallace wasn’t one to believe in such unlikely luck - he hadn’t even ever come across a shiny Pokemon through wild encounters. But if the lottery was free…

After a bit of queuing and helping Winona carry her bags, it was their turn to have their trainer IDs checked to see if it matched with the lottery numbers. Wallace wasn’t expecting much, but he hoped at least Winona was having such a thrill from having their trainer cards get scanned.

“Congratulations, young man! The last four digits match with today’s number, so your prize is a Max Revive!”

“Wow! Um...thank you.” Wallace picked up the chunky looking item from the merchant. Well, it wasn’t quite a Master Ball, but it was still quite a good prize. Next, it was Winona’s turn to be checked.

“Sorry, young lady...your ID doesn’t match with our lottery number. Better luck next time, and please come again next week!”

“Oh, bother!” Winona looked quite bummed out, but fortunately also half amused. “Ahh well. Congrats, Wallace! That’s quite the win you got there!”

“You keep it.” Wallace immediately handed over the item to Winona. “It’s only fair after you bought me that doll.”

“Huh?! What, no! This is worth far more than a doll! I could buy tons of those over and over! You can’t buy Max Revives anywhere. You know that, right?”

“I know. But it was your idea to come here so I feel you deserve it. Anyway, your friendship means more to me than anything else.” Wallace smiled. “Please, it’s my way of saying thank you. Besides, I hardly let my Pokemon down! Perhaps you need it more than I.”

“HEY! What’s that supposed to mean?” Winona lightly punched Wallace’s arm. “Well fine, I’ll take it. Thank you.” She placed it in her perhaps already overly-stuffed shopping bags, which Wallace was glad he could at least help carry half of it. “So then...about that secret base. You want to go hang out there and eat some berries?”

“I’d love that.” The two walked out of the crowded Department Store, happy with their treats that they snatched up. “I just hope it’s not so far from here, because these are quite a lot of bags to carry!”


	3. Rock bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While things seem to be peaceful in Wallace's life, an unfortunate situation comes crashing down.

It had been several weeks, and by now Wallace held the top of all titles, being known as one of Hoenn’s more famous Champion, as well as always scoring on top in Pokemon contests. Despite this, he certainly didn’t feel on top of the world. Having company with his good friends definitely helped remind him that his life wasn’t completely rock bottom, and he was truly grateful he still had people to turn to when he felt down.

Still, he couldn’t focus as much nowadays. He was determined to not let his career be impeded by personal matters, but no matter how much he tried to deny it, it really was putting a toll on his performance. He decided to take a break for the time being, preferring to spend the days training at Juan’s gym, helping out as an assistant trainer for the time being.

He told Juan about what had happened, too. Of course his mentor sympathized and offered him a lot of support.

“Was it at least a clean break-up?” It was a bit surreal to see Juan acting so serious, outside of his usually flamboyant demeanor.

“I don’t think so. I just wanted him to leave me straight away. I haven’t had any contact with him since. Oh, speaking of, I got a new Pokenav number because the asshole wouldn’t stop trying to call my other one. You should add my new number.”

“I see…Wallace, I know it’s hard, but I sense you’re so upset because you haven’t had any proper closure. I don’t excuse Steven’s actions, but I think you should at least have a talk with him once you’ve cleared your head. From there you can decide whether you want to remain friends or stay out of touch for good.”

“I probably should.” Wallace looked down as his toes were submerged in the pool, with a few Pokemon swimming around it, clearly having a better time than him. “But...right now it’s too painful. I just can’t look at him or listen to his voice without wanting to do something terrible.”

“Wallace...don’t tell anyone this, but I can’t believe anyone would hurt my dear student like this! If anyone ever put you in such misery, I’d give them quite a difficult time with a battle! So if I ever come across Steven, I’ll be sure to give him a challenge he can’t refuse, all right?”

“Ha. Thanks, Juan.” Wallace moved his feet around a little to form small waves in the pool.

“But dear, despite how I feel, I still think you should take some time off and discuss things over with him. It’s for your own good, so please? It worries me to see you so down like this, after all the hard work you’ve done to get yourself this far.”

“I’m sure I am just feeling the usual post-breakup blues. I’ll get over it eventually, and then I’ll have a talk. Thanks again Juan.”

*

There was a beautiful sunset, one reminiscent of the scenery that he and Steven would have in their previous dates. Fuck, Wallace thought. Why was he still even thinking about him like this?

The ocean looked beautiful. It was refreshing to be reminded of his true passion, which was the vast world of water and all the Pokemon within it. Feeling himself all alone in the world again, he took out a Pokeball and summoned Milotic, another companion he knew he could always rely on. The Milotic landed in the water, and Wallace petted their cheek.

“Oh, Milotic. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit out of it lately. You know I love you very much.” He gave a kiss on the Milotic’s forehead.

The two of them swam together in the peaceful ocean, being able to relax like this for once and bond where Pokemon battles weren’t involved. Wallace was sat on Milotic’s back, holding onto them while the waves of water splashed onto them. Wallace didn’t care that his clothes were getting wet. Water was his speciality and life, after all.

He noticed Milotic also seemed a little more upset than usual, probably because the poor thing had to put up with such a moody trainer right now.

“Milotic, please don’t be upset for me. I’m so happy to be with you.” He hugged Milotic tightly. “I’ll be all right. I promise.”

After a while, Wallace headed back for the shore. He had left some his belongings there, his new Pokenav included, since he didn’t want it getting wet. When he picked it up, it was ringing loudly, and he noticed he had a bunch of missed calls. What was this? Had Steven found his new number to come and harass him more?

...it was Winona’s number. Immediately, Wallace called back.

“Winona! Is everything ok?”

“Wallace, I…” She sounded incredibly distressed. “Wallace I’m really sorry, I hate to be the messenger of such news, but…”

“But what?” Wallace suddenly felt his heart pounding, so much after his relaxing ocean stroll with Milotic.

“It’s….it’s about Steven. Hear me out, ok? He had gone missing for the the whole day, but they found him in this unknown cave - and…”

This wasn’t going to be good. Wallace held his breath.

“There’s been an accident and they’re doing an emergency rescue operation on him. W-we’re all here waiting anxiously...Wallace, I’m sorry, but everyone agreed that you should be told about it as well.”

Oh God. He would have sworn that in that moment, his heart stopped beating.

What was he to say? If he was still really bitter, he would have told Winona he didn’t care. But the feeling of anxiety was too great for him to ignore. He was indeed incredibly worried.

“Winona, I’m coming. But where is this place? You said it’s an unknown cave?”

“I’ll send the location’s co-ordinates to your map. Ok, there.”

Wallace had a look. “Huh? Isn’t this Route 130? There’s nothing there, I know the place like the back of my hand!”

“It’s...yeah, I don’t understand, either, but trust me, that is where we are. Look, I’m so sorry about all this. I really didn’t want to bother you about it especially knowing what happened...but…”

“It’s all right. It was the right thing to do. Thank you, Winona.” Wallace hung up, and immediately picked up his bags and looked at Milotic. “Come on, my dear. We’ve got an asshole to go save.”

*

Wallace had arrived on a very unfamiliar island, exactly the spot that Winona told him it was at. He sure couldn’t remember this place after having crossed it so many times in his life. What was this all about?

There was quite the crowd, some were the few gym leaders who weren’t occupied - Winona included, and some were even from the Elite. He thought he could also spot Steven’s father in the crowd, but he wasn’t sure. Most of the people were rescue workers with Pokemon trying to dig their way into what seemed to be a cave-in. There was also a Skarmory, which Winona was tending to. Was it Steven’s?

Wallace kissed Milotic and returned them to its Pokeball. He then immediately ran towards Winona, giving her a hug before speaking.

“What happened here?! What’s going on?”

“It’s terrible, Wallace...they said that Steven left without any of his Pokemon, save for Skarmory.” She looked at the poor Pokemon, petting their steel wings. “He sent out a distress call before he got cut off - they were able to track his location to here, and it seems he’s still inside that cave.” Winona looked down, visibly upset by this ordeal.

“But what was he doing in this mysterious place? Why didn’t he bring the rest of his Pokemon?”

“I don’t know…” Winona shook her head. “Wallace, I know this must be incredibly hard for you. I mean...obviously I’m worried for Steven, but I am worried about you, too.”

“Don’t be.” In this time of danger, it suddenly came by naturally to put on a face of determination. “I’m not the one who is stuck in a cave waiting for help. How long has he been there for?”

“It’s been at least 6 hours since the distress call, but the rescue team only got here about 2 hours ago! I seriously hope he’s all right…”

Wallace looked up at Skarmory, who seemed to understand everything that was going on. Not able to take it any longer, Wallace ran closer towards the rescue operation, even if it was blocked by barriers.

Winona gasped. “Wait, Wallace! Don’t go there! It’s not safe!”

“Excuse me,” Wallace said, pushing a few people out of the way. “What’s happening?! Have you found Steven? Is he still alive?!”

“Sir, please calm down.” One of the guards kept him away from the rescue site. “I know you are worried, but we cannot let you beyond this area. This is a dangerous zone and we cannot let anyone else through for your own safety as well as the safety of others.”

“But…” Wallace knew if he interfered he’d probably make it worse - but it hurt so much to sit there and do nothing. “Please, tell me he’s going to be ok!”

“We are doing everything we can to save him. Please have faith.”

Many hours passed, with the sunset quickly turning into night. Everyone here was probably staying up beyond their bedtime. Wallace could do nothing but wait with Winona and Skarmory. In a vain attempt to try and pass the time, Wallace did more research about the area - apparently it may have been the fabled Mirage Island. He had heard rumours about it before, but he didn’t know it had a mysterious cave to dig into.

It was around 3 o’clock in the morning, and finally he heard some noise that indicated something was happening. Immediately, he rushed back to see what the commotion was about. Had they found Steven?

“Everyone, stand back!” The guards were trying to push the others way, but among the crowd, Wallace tried to tiptoe to see what was happening.

And then it happened. The emergency workers were carrying Steven on a stretcher, who had a breathing mask attached onto his face. He should have been relieved that they found Steven, but at this current moment, Steven looked in poor condition. He was bleeding quite badly, and he looked lifeless…

“Get the defibrillator ready!” One of the doctors shouted, while another was pressing heart beats onto Steven’s exposed chest. No, it can’t be…

“Steven! STEVEN!” Wallace yelled, trying to reach his arm out towards him, but he was too far a distance and it was clear that Steven could not hear his voice.

“My son!” It was Mr Stone, who was allowed to come to close proximity to him, only for a moment before the doctors told him to stand back. “Steven! Please, open your eyes! I’m here for you, my son!”

“Sir, I’m sorry, but you are going to have to stand back.” A strange device was placed onto Steven, giving him a shock. That was the only movement that Steven made.

Wallace didn’t know what to do. All this time, he wanted Steven to suffer after he had hurt him so much. But now that he was seeing him like this...possibly even dying, he didn’t know what to feel. No matter what Steven did to him, he didn’t deserve to suffer like this. He didn’t deserve such a death.

He still cared for Steven after all.

Everything was crashing down to him. The sounds of the sirens, the voices of the crowd around him, the electric shocks...suddenly, everything became a haze to him, and he couldn’t see anything.

“Wallace? Wallace!!”

He barely heard Winona’s voice, before realizing he had collapsed onto the ground and whited out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure most readers know first aid but just in case.  
> Defibrillators are used when someone's heart fails to have a regular beating rhythm, with the intention of resetting it. This is done by sending an electric shock to their chest. I assure you they weren't Volt Switching Steven for laughs.


	4. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Wallace recovers, he wonders what on Earth Steven was thinking.

It didn’t take long for Wallace to recover in hospital, as nothing major happened to him. However, the nurses told him to be careful as he hadn’t eaten for a long period of time that the emotional trauma must have contributed to his fainting. It was a good thing that was the worst that happened to him, they kept reminding him.

He was discharged soon enough with but a plaster on his arm where he previously had an IV drip connected to him, but he still wondered about Steven. Wallace asked around - it seemed like he wasn’t the only one to be concerned since apparently it was a very frequently asked question at the hospital. They said he was in a critical but stable condition, and was not ready to be seen yet, but they would let him know as soon as he was in a decent enough condition.

For the time being, Wallace could only go home and get himself washed. He kept in touch with Winona and Juan throughout the ordeal. Apparently Winona stayed by his side for a while at hospital before she was called off to do other obligations at the gym. It was a shame he could not thank her in person.

“Hey Winona,” he said into the Pokenav, having to settle communicating like this for now. “Hope you aren’t too busy? I am really grateful for what you did for me.”

“Wallace! I’m glad you’re fine now. Are you out of the hospital now?”

“Yes, it was nothing serious. It was just…”

“Nothing serious?! Wallace! They said you weren’t eating enough! And that you were really stressed! Eat more! Energy is really important for you!”

“O-oh, I know that,” Wallace laughed, clearly not taking it as serious as Winona. “So how are you? You ought to look after yourself and eat plenty too.”

“You know what? I went back to that weird island on Route 130 later on - just for education’s sake - and it was like you said! There’s nothing! Route 130 is but empty sea! Everyone’s so spooked out about how there’s literally no trace of that place anymore. Did it really happen, Wallace? Or was it all just a dream…?”

That was quite a disturbing thought. What if Steven had never made the call, and disappeared along with this island for the rest of eternity? Wallace could have thrown up just thinking about it.

“That is so strange,” he said underwhelmingly. “Hoenn sure has a lot of mysteries we still don’t know about. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you again.”

“That’s fine! I’ve got quite a lot of gym challengers waiting to face me so sadly I can’t go on much longer, but thank you so much for your call. You take a good rest.”

*

A few days later, Wallace got a call from a number he wasn’t familiar with. He picked up, assuming it had something to do with the situation at hand.

“Hello, is this Wallace? This is the hospital calling...are you well?”

“Oh, I am, thanks.” He wasn’t, but in terms of physical state, he was doing much better than others.

“Good, we’ve been informed that Steven has woken up and asked that we notify you about it, since you previously requested that you want to see him. He says you have permission to come. Are you his next of kin?”

Wallace blinked. It was a huge relief to hear Steven was fine after all, though this phone operator was being so deadpan about it. “N-no, I’m just a friend. I’ll come over immediately. Thank you.”

As Wallace rushed to the hospital, he thought about what he had said. Despite not having spoken to Steven for weeks, or even months since the incident between them, he had no issue calling him a friend. Not to mention, he found it confusing that he found it himself to worry for Steven by instinct. He thought he was completely done with the man. He couldn’t believe he even bought flowers to carry along the way.

Eventually he arrived at the correct ward, and was guided to the room where Steven was being held at. Once he had reached the door, Wallace took a deep breath, brushed his hair aside with his fingers, and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” the familiar voice said from inside, and Wallace allowed himself in.

Steven was there, laid there in hospital garments, surrounded by cannulas on his arms and wires connecting to the machine that made electronic heartbeat sounds. Despite the terrible state Steven must have been in, it was oddly refreshing to see him with his eyes open, his face cleaned, the rays of the sun outside gently gleaming in the room around them.

The room itself looked quite comfortable for a hospital - definitely a lot better than the one Wallace stayed at. Surrounding Steven were several balloons, Pokemon dolls and cards that must have been sent by other people. It was good to know Steven wasn’t completely alone after all.

Wallace said nothing, but he walked up to Steven, placing the flowers on the desk next to him. Steven smiled. “Thank you so much for coming. I’ve missed you.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Was he to instantly hug him and say he missed him too? he really did, as much as he hated to admit it. He was so happy to see Steven came out of that mysterious cave alive. That’s all he wanted to tell him, nothing more, nothing less. But...a strange feeling of anger also returned to him. Wallace tried to fight it off, but it took over him, and he found himself unable to control it.

“You’re a downright fucking idiot, Steve. What the hell were you thinking?!” Great. The first thing that came out of his mouth after being reunited like this, and he was being rude, not to mention unable to even call Steven by his given name.

“I know I was.” Steven remained calm, the sound of the ECG still beeping steadily. “I’m incredibly lucky to have you yelling at me like this after what happened.” He laughed, but with an obvious hint of sadness.

“Steven..” Wallace corrected himself. “Why? What were you thinking?”

“You know me. I love to explore caves and find any rare stone that there is. You know I’d do anything for stones, even if it means getting myself almost killed…”

“Idiot.” That seemed to come out without Wallace even thinking about it. Why was he being like this? “Not even the rarest stone of the universe is worth risking your life for.” That sounded a lot better, and hopefully didn’t make Steven feel like all Wallace was here to do was verbally crap all over him.

“Well...thank you.” Steven played with his fingers, even though half were plastered and the rest looked completely chapped. “You must be confused why I chose this particular place, right? I can tell you more about it, if you like.”

“Please do. I could have sworn Route 130 was nothing but empty sea.”

“It normally is,” Steven began to say. “I was flying around when I suddenly noticed this island was right there. I thought it must have been the legendary Mirage Island. Little did I know there was a cave there, too!” He started to sound excited talking about caves all over again. “But I found no information about the caves of Mirage Island. I knew it might be dangerous, so I left all my Pokemon out of it. I went in anyway, hoping to find some rare stones that the entire world has never seen before. They say Mirage Island only appears for one day before completely disappearing again, so that’s why I didn’t waste any time going in!”

“So, do you still think it was worth putting your life on the line for all that?”

Steven went quiet for a while, and looked up at the ceiling. “If you mean simply for the sole sake of collecting stones...not really.”

“I mean it the way I asked. You don’t sound convinced with yourself.”

The other man sighed. “Because...at that time I didn’t care if I really died.”

Wallace frowned. “Why?”

“You know why.”

A gust of wind blew the hospital curtains ever so slightly as silence fell onto them, save for the ECG machine still keeping track of Steven’s heartbeat. It was as steady as ever.

Steven continued. “The truth is, I really wanted to find something so incredibly rare, something the entire world had never seen before. And...I wanted to give the rarest stone in the universe to you! I know, you don’t care for stones, but I thought if I went into this mysterious place, I’d find a stone so beautiful and bright, one that glows like a diamond and makes the sound of the ocean, that even you would appreciate it.”

Wallace was partly touched, though it still sounded like Steven was being far too much of a stone maniac. “And did you find such a thing?”

“Wallace...I was completely fooling myself. I found nothing. There were no stones in Mirage Island. I was only chasing a fallacy. You’re right. I’m an idiot.”

“So…you basically went on a suicide mission and used your stone-finding as a cover up?”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that. I assure you I wasn’t purposely trying to take my life, nor was I trying to guilt trip you.” Steven looked intensely towards Wallace. “But...I’ve got to be honest. I’ve become so indifferent about my life since you told me you never wanted to see me again. It made me realize I had thrown away everything I had. Digging up for rare stones was the only solace I could find.”

“Steven…” Wallace put a hand on Steven’s shoulder reassuringly. “Please, don’t ever do anything like that ever again. I mean, I’m still really hurt by what you did to me. But I don’t wish for you to go through so much suffering. So many people were concerned about you. It broke my heart so much to see your father so upset when...you know.”

“I’m so happy I could see you again like this.” Steven awkwardly placed his hand on Wallace’s, after trying to dodge all the wires around him. “This means more to me than any rare stone I may have found. Thank you for at least giving me this opportunity.”

“Yeah, well…” It was strange to feel such a pleasant air around them. “I’m just happy you are alive.”


	5. The road to recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a hard job looking after Steven, but it's a good time to catch up with him and come to good terms again.

Steven needed somebody to keep him company for the next few days after being discharged from his long hospital stay, as he was still in the process of recovery. Wallace agreed to be that person, despite the fact that Mr Stone was also another option - but he was a busy man, and it was more convenient for Steven to stay with Wallace, since they lived closer together after all. It wasn’t as if Wallace had anything else to do for the time being. 

And so Wallace had a new temporary roommate - well, he was hardly new. They already shared places together previously after all. At least Wallace knew what to expect out of him. Only now, Steven couldn’t walk without support as his legs continued to heal, and for the most part, Wallace was the one who had to look after him.

He had briefly stepped out to go buy some groceries from the local Pokemart, but before returning home, he quickly dropped by at Juan’s gym. His mentor was always willing to talk and catch up with him.

“So, you know I’m having to look after Steven for the time being. He’s quite badly hurt however, so please don’t go trying to chase him up and give him a bad time.”

Juan was standing next to the pool as usual, this time fanning himself with an elegant looking fan. “Oh, dear Wallace, I’m so glad you managed to talk to him in the end. Clearly you two must be on good terms again if you agreed to look after him. But...but!”

“But what?”

Juan started fanning himself more intensely to the point where his hair started blowing a little. “Steven should consider himself very lucky, you know that?! After what he did, he should be so thankful that you are here, taking time out for HIM! Look at you, you’re being so selflessly fabulous! And...look at him!” The older man made some kind of dramatic gesture that even Wallace, having being mentored by his man for so long, didn’t understand. “Wallace, you are truly an angel, and I hope he returns the favour to you!”

“An angel? Wouldn’t be so sure about that…” Sure, his actions were altruistic, but Wallace had to admit he had kind of acted like a jerk to Steven since breaking up with him.

“Oh, dear Wallace! See, you’re letting yourself down again! Stop doing that!” Juan folded his fan, only to open it again and start fanning himself again. Wallace wasn’t sure what the point of that was, but then again, it was Juan. “You aren’t being emotionally blackmailed, are you?! Has Steven been saying horrible things about you?”

“Juan, no! Please.” Wallace placed his hand on Juan’s, indicating him to stop it with the fanning that looked like it might snap his wrist at any moment. “Monsieur, calm down. I appreciate your concern, but trust me, I can handle it.”

“Hmmmm. Well!” Juan smiled. “You look much happier than before. I’m so glad to see you are handling yourself better these days. But as always, let me know if there’s anything you need, all right? I don’t need to see my dear Wallace be hurt again!”

“Of course I will. Now, I should get all this food before Steven starves or something. I’m sure you’d like that though,” Wallace joked. “I’ll talk to you later!”

*

He arrived back at home, welcomed by Steven who was still sitting on the couch. Wallace immediately took out the food and treats he bought for the both of them.

“Vegetarian sushi and berry juice. I hope it is to your liking.” Wallace placed the prepared lunch boxes onto the desk. Of course it should have been - Wallace paid a good amount for these, after all. Even if it was all with Steven’s money.

“It looks delicious. Thank you.” Steven tried to sound all calm about it, but the way he instantly picked up the chopsticks and ate with haste was enough to indicate he was desperately hungry.

After they ate, they were able to find it in themselves to sit down and continue talking - sort of catching up, essentially. So far, things weren’t getting awkward. It was mostly about work life and their Pokemon. But then of course, Steven had to ask.

“So...are you seeing anyone, Wallace?”

Oh Steven, why.

“That’s none of your business,” Wallace snapped, suddenly having all friendliness sucked out of him. He really could have said no - because after all, he wasn’t seeing anyone. Sure, Winona was there as a friend, though many probably suspected he was dating her after breaking up with Steven. Is that what Steven also believed?

“I just want to know if you’ve found happiness elsewhere. It’s what you deserve, after all.”

“So have YOU been seeing anyone else?” Gosh, Wallace was the one who say Steven had no right to be asking, yet now he was all too obvious that he was also curious.

“...no. I’ve practically spoken to nobody ever since.” Steven took a sip from the juice that still remained in his glass.

“I see.” Wallace got up to get himself another drink. Rather than sitting back down on the couch though, he remained standing up. “Sorry to hear.” He actually really meant it, even if he still remembered that Steven brought himself into this situation from his poor judgement.

“There’s no need to be.” The conversation turned a little disjointed and awkward now. Wallace was seriously hoping that keeping Steven home wouldn’t come with this consequence of the whole relationship awkwardness, but who was he kidding?

Steven started to talk again. “Wallace, I’m still incredibly sorry for everything I’ve done. I can’t believe you still have the patience to look after me after I made another stupid decision in my life. That’s twice I owe you. I wish I could do something to make this less hard on you.”

“Yeah, you can start by not making this so awkward and healing up fast so I can kick you out as soon as possible.” Wallace decided to leave the room, though not before cleaning up the desk and giving Steven another glass of fresh water.

*

Wallace didn’t realize just how dependant Steven would become of him. Very often Wallace had to carry him around the house and up the stairs for him to get by. Steven sure was heavy, but it was nothing Wallace couldn’t handle. Despite his slender appearance he also had strength in him. He just had to ensure he was eating a lot, as Winona constantly reminded him.

Sometimes Wallace had to be involved in helping out Steven where he felt concerned for his dignity, though Steven didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Other times he had to help Steven wash up. Wallace saw it as nothing more than looking after a person with special needs, though their previous history probably did keep reminding him that this may have been a little awkward. But maybe he should have been glad Steven wasn’t placed in someone else’s care, because that seemed even more undignified.

Wallace sometimes cooked on days where he felt like it, even if Steven gave him an unlimited supply of money to buy as much instant food as they wanted. It certainly helped even out the responsibilities a little. He made berry cookies today, something rarely available in stores, and a recipe inspired by a mix of Lava cookies mixed with the sweet flavour of berries.

Wallace placed the plate of fresh cookies on the table, with Steven still sitting on the couch, fiddling with chest for some reason.

“Is everything all right, Steven?”

“Y-yes. It’s just that, well. The nurses told me to take these bandages off my chest today. But I can’t find where these string of bandages end…”

“Oh for goodness sake.” Wallace immediately took off Steven’s unbuttoned shirt and looked around until he found where his bandages were tied up. It was a pretty inconvenient location. He started unravelling them, layer by layer, noticing that with each layer there were more bloodstains visible. It sure looked painful.

Once Wallace was done unwrapping his chest, he saw how many scars and stitches were still all over him. The sight completely took him by shock.

“...Steven…”

“Thanks, Wallace.” Steven he seemed unphased in comparison, though it was a given, since he must have been aware of the state of his own injuries.

“Y-you’re not in pain, are you?”

“No, don’t worry. I’m taking my painkillers regularly. Just don’t touch those stitches.”

“I wasn’t intending to.” Still, Wallace couldn’t help but keep looking. “How bad is it? Do you still need time to recover?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Just a few fractured ribs here and there, either from that cave-in or the CPR. The doctors said they’re not sure. I guess they’ll never be unless they do a postmortem on me,” Steven laughed.

“Hey, that’s not funny!” Wallace felt like hitting Steven just for that joke. “That was seriously uncalled for, Steven. Don’t ever say that again.” He really hated being reminded of anything that indicated Steven being near-death.

“...sorry.” Steven sighed and picked up a cookie from the plate, taking a bite. “Ohh. This is delicious. It’s even better than the Lava cookies.”

It was obvious Steven was trying to change the topic in a haste, but for this time that’s what Wallace would have preferred. Wallace got up to discard the used bandages and wash his hands. He was always very particular about hygiene, in contrast to Steven who didn’t seem to care as much, probably desensitized from all the cave-digging.

“Hey...Wallace. You know when I said that I found nothing at Mirage Island?”

That was another strange topic change. “Yes, you told me that.”

“Well...yeah, I didn’t find any stones. But I did find something else, actually. I almost forgot about it. I think you’ll find it of more interest than myself.”

“And what might this be?”

“I gave it to Skarmory to hold onto. It you grab their Pokeball you’ll find it. Should be in my bag.”

Wallace looked into Steven’s bag and indeed, found that there was an item attached to Skarmory’s Pokeball. At first it looked like some kind of organic stem. As he took out the rest of it however, he realized that what he was holding was a bright red and white berry he had never seen before - at least, not in person.

“Wow...is this the rare Liechi Berry?!”

“So you know your berry lore quite well,” Steven smiled. “I asked around about it. Apparently it’s an incredibly rare berry that contains the power of the sea. I felt it was fitting for you. And well, you’ve always been the one obsessed about berries between the two of us. You can either use it in battle to raise your Pokemon’s attack when it’s in trouble, or I heard you can create some amazing Pokeblocks with it.”

“Steven…” Wallace was genuinely touched. This was definitely far better than a rare stone in his eyes. “That is very sweet of you. Thank you. I’ll be sure to plant it and water it every day and share some with you when it sprouts more berries.” Suddenly, Wallace kissed Steven in the cheek. It was supposed to be purely platonic and only out of politeness, but he hoped it didn’t seem like Wallace was coming onto him.

Steven blushed, but he didn’t try to take it further. “I’m so glad my trip to Mirage Island was for something after all.”

“I suppose so. Just, next time you go there, just stick to the soft soil and don’t be stupid and go into a dodgy looking cave, all right?”


	6. Reign of death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as things are looking up between Wallace and Steven, the world is bought into a crisis.

Two weeks had passed, and Steven was more or less able to walk the house without assistance, and soon enough he became fully independent. It meant Wallace didn’t have to spend so much time with him any longer. Good, because the sooner he healed up, the less he had to worry about.

Steven said he was going to go for a brief shopping trip. Wallace didn’t have to follow, but after a bit of delay in getting himself prepared, he followed suite. It seemed Steven was already done though, as he came out just when Wallace was about to make his way in. He was dressed in his trademark tuxedo, holding some flowers in front of him.

“Eh? You bought flowers? For whom?” Was Steven actually dating someone else after all? Or was this another attempt to try and win Wallace back?

Steven sighed, and looked down. “My mother.”

“...oh. Right, of course…”

“Yeah. It’s been five years since she passed away. I’m going to fly to Rustboro. I’ll be back after this, all right?”

“Hey. Wait, I’m coming with you. But give me a moment.” Wallace briskly walked into the store, and then after a minute or two, came out with a bouquet of flowers as well. “I’d like to pay my respects, too.”

“Wallace? No, you don’t have to…”

“You’re still under my supervision. I still have a duty to look after you. So I may as well.”

“Wallace…”

Before Steven could say anything else, Wallace paced himself back home, eager to call out Skarmory to fly them both out of this place for a while. The first time since bringing Steven home, too.

They landed in Rustboro not too long after. Steven was the one to guide them to the cemetery, a place not well known to the public. Even Wallace had to admit, he didn’t know there even was such a place nearby.

Probably because the place was filled with so many flowers that the cemetery looked more like a park or a route full of flowers, if anything. Steven found the tombstone of his mother, which Wallace would have never guessed was there if Steven had not carefully bent down, placing the flowers on the slab of rock on the ground.

“Mother...I’m here for you now. I still can’t believe you are gone.” Steven gently rubbed the tombstone with his hands affectionately. “But my father and I always have you in our thoughts. I’m sorry I could not come by and give you company up there.”

Wallace knew that this visit was going to be quite emotional, but he didn’t expect it to be this sad. He felt bad just standing there, so he also kneeled down and placed his own flowers on the gravestone.

“Steven...do you want me to give you a moment?”

“No, it’s fine.” Steven smiled. “Mother, this is my good friend... he’s done a good job of looking after me. He is such an angel. Maybe you sent him over to look after me? I’ll be all right. There’s no need for you to worry.”

There was a moment of silence, and then the definite sound of Steven sobbing. All this time he thought that Steven was literally made of steel when it came to expressing his emotions, but what he saw in front of him was a sincere display of his feelings. No, it wasn’t the first time...but it had been a long time.

Wallace offered his hand to Steven, which he instantly grabbed and held onto tightly. For now, it didn’t matter. He was there to look after Steven and make sure he wasn’t completely alone on this solemn day.

*

As they made their way back home, heavy rain poured on them - good thing Skarmory was mostly waterproof. They had to be careful to avoid the storms however. The last time Hoenn came under such extreme weather was when Kyogre was unleashed. Surely Kyogre was at least in better hands now - so what was going on?

Luckily they made it home safely before the storm got worse. Skarmory was immediately called back into their ball, and Wallace was quick to grab towels for both men to dry up in. Steven was more interested in turning the TV on though, immediately switching to the news channel.

“This is so unusual. What’s the weather forecast saying about this?” Steven sat down, intensely looking at the glowing screen, seemingly not concerned about drying his hair and changing clothes.

Wallace listened in, while he took his hat off and wrapped his hair in a towel, then took his wet clothes off and exchanged them for nighties. Soon enough the news began to discuss this strange weather in Hoenn, first saying that this was definitely abnormal and not predicted by the weather institute. They had no idea what the cause was, but it had nothing to do with Kyogre or any other legendary. Hoenn was apparently not the only one involved - other regions seemed to be affected by sudden shifts in weather too.

The Pokenav began to rang - it was Steven’s. Steven looked at it, and then gasped, hanging up immediately.

“Huh? Steven, who was it? Why didn’t you pick up?”

“N-nothing, it’s nothing. Just. I’m sure it was some advertisement or a call from the company.” Steven looked visibly shaken.

“What? During this time of the day? Steven, please, this is important. Be honest with me.”

“It’s…” Steven sighed loudly. “It’s Cynthia.”

“So? Why did you hang up on her then?”

“...because, I don’t want to establish any contact with her anymore, after what happened. I thought you’d be upset if I did.”

Wallace slammed his hand on the couch. “Steven, why do I care who you speak to?! Do you think I’ve got any authority to decide who you decide to keep in touch with? And anyway, it’s not like I have a grudge against Cynthia, ok? Now call her back immediately, this might be important!”

“A-all right.” Steven took a deep breath and called back. “Hello, sorry for hanging up earlier on. What’s that? ...I see.”

After a few vague exchanges, the call dropped. “Cynthia says she knows what’s causing the strange weather. She’s heading to the TV station in Sinnoh to try and get it broadcast around the world.”

“Ok. And what did she say?”

“Somebody else has been messing around with the legendaries in Sinnoh. She said...something about a group Team Galactic who want to bring about the destruction of the world.”

“Oh my goodness.” Wallace slowly turned his head back to the TV screen, which began to unfold what Cynthia was talking about. There had been reported explosions at the lakes of Sinnoh which were the homes of lake legendaries, and recent criminal activity all over Sinnoh, caused by Team Galactic who spoke of destroying this world to start a new one of utopia.

Finally, there seemed to be a recording from Team Galactic’s boss, in what seemed to be an intended speech of propaganda. On the screen appeared a stern-looking man with blue hair and emotionless eyes, standing on what appeared to be a stage full of other members of this Team Galactic.

_“The world has nothing to fear. We, Team Galactic, are going to erase all the errors of this world and rebuild a new perfect world for us to live peacefully in. No more will there be wars, hate, or suffering. No more will there be conflict between people. Imagine a world where you can erase all your past mistakes and remove everything irrational. Imagine a world where you can start over, from the very beginning, in an era of peace and happiness. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Is that not what you all desire? But it can only happen if we erase this flawed world and create a new one from the very beginning._

_Resistance is futile. I already possess Dialga and Palkia, and the three lake legendaries. Together, we will create a new time and a new universe of a glorious era._

_Let us redo.”_

Wallace punched the wall next to him with his fist. “Bullshit! Creating an imbalance of the entire world by abusing Pokemon isn’t going to do that!” He was tempted to switch the TV off right there to get this man’s face away from his house, but he noticed Steven, deep in thought with his eyes fixated on the TV screen, his hair still dripping from rainwater.

“Steven?” Wallace walked in front of Steven and tried to break his vision from the screen. Steven looked startled. Shaking his head, Wallace turned off the TV, and sat himself on the small table in front of the couch that Steven was sat on. “Steven…”

“...is this really it?”

“What do you mean? Of course it isn’t. I’m sure Cynthia won’t let this guy get away with his actions, right? There must be some very good trainers at Sinnoh who will be able to deal with this.”

“I know.” Steven definitely didn’t put any effort to trying to make his answer sound convinced though.

“...Steven.” Wallace thought about the speech that the leader of Team Galactic gave. Of all the words of propaganda he could have chosen, he just had to pick the ones that would hit people like Steven, didn’t he? “You don’t really believe what that man said, do you?”

“No. He’s obviously off his head.” Steven laughed. “The things he said are impossible. His plans will bring nothing but destruction. There will be no new world for us.”

“...yeah.” Wallace looked at the window, noticing that there was nothing but the sound of heavy rain and storms outside their house now.


	7. End of the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace does not want to spend his last days alone, and decides to find company with Steven despite his confusion about their relationship. (This chapter is also the reason for the Explicit rating. OOOH!)

As the following day went on, the rain did not stop. It became dark far earlier than it should have in Hoenn. It really looked like the opening to another apocalypse...except somehow, something about this one felt like it might actually happen. At least when it was happening in Hoenn, they had some answers, they had trainers aiding them, and luckily the ones responsible were not ill-intentioned - basically, they were all in control. This time, there was nothing they could do but hope for the best - a little ironic that they had placed all their hopes on Cynthia now, though Wallace always respected her, and felt no harm was done on her part for what had happened.

That was all in the past now. Right now, they had to worry about the future - if there would still be any left.

Both Wallace and Steven agreed to take time out to talk to those close to them. For safety reasons they did not leave Sootopolis, but much of the day was spent calling friends and relatives. Wallace called Winona and even very briefly popped out of the house to see Juan in person, since it was the least he could do. Steven called his father - and that was probably it, though Wallace wasn’t quite sure.

Sadly, the day went by all too quickly, and it seemed like a good time to go to sleep. Wallace later realized that, while they were both busy contacting those close to them, they didn’t quite reserve the time to have a talk with each other.

“Hey.” Wallace approached Steven, who was preparing his sleeping bag for the night - something he bought after Wallace made it clear that he was not sharing his own bed. He was welcome to sleep in the couch, though for a while they slept in the same room anyway - merely for safety reasons. Even though Steven had recovered well enough by now, it simply became a habit for them to continue sleeping like this.

“Hm? Yes?”

“I...well, what do you think about all this? The thing about...what’s going to happen. To you.”

“It’s unsettling. It worries me a lot, of course. I can only hope the crisis is averted.” Steven began tucking himself in, but Wallace put a hand out on his shoulder, indicating for him to stop.

“Wait. Steven, I want to talk. Please, come sit here.” Wallace climbed onto his own bed, and for the first time, welcomed Steven to come and sit on it with him. The first time in a while, anyway.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“...I want to talk about us.” Wallace had considered the idea for a while, after he had found himself being able to come back on friendly terms with Steven. It was so obvious, but he still cared for him. Perhaps what he didn’t realize is that, by accepting to look after him and continue being his friend during times of trouble, he had already forgiven him a long time ago. Now, the potential end of the world was what pushed him to hastily bring this up. It probably wasn’t the best time, but if he waited any longer, he might have never had the chance to bring this up ever again.

“...go on,” Steven whispered, his eyes brightened up more than usual.

“Well...where do we go from here? I know I said I never wanted to see you again, but clearly I haven’t lived up to that statement. I actually have really missed you a lot.”

“I’ve...missed you so much too, Wallace. You have no idea how happy it has made me to be able to spend time with you like this, even if it’s not the same as we used to be. But it still makes me incredibly happy just to be with you.” Steven was smiling so much now, normally he’d be having to talk about his rare stones if he were to sound this excited.

“Steven…I’m happy, too. I don’t want to lose you. I’m scared.” His heart was racing again, so intensely that he could have sworn he could physically hear it. “I don’t want the world to end. I don’t want a new world. I want to stay here...the way things are. I can’t believe I’m saying this...but I never want to erase the memories we’ve had together.”

“Wallace…me too. I’m...I’m still in love with you-”

Wallace immediately pulled him into a kiss, which must have taken Steven by shock - and quite frankly, he was a bit shocked by his own actions too. Whatever he was feeling though, he didn’t want to regret holding back. There may have been no tomorrow. The world could have ended in a flash at any moment now. At least he wanted to go out on a high note, if that were to happen.

Steven responded and kissed back passionately, like he had been starving for it for all these months. It had been too long. This was what was missing from his life. The passion, the intensity, the excitement…

Wallace began to undress Steven, unbuttoning his shirt in a haste, and then immediately pressing his hands onto his exposed chest when he had the chance. He was careful about it, knowing that Steven still had a few faint scars remaining. He controlled himself not to play it rough there, and instead opted to go for his neck, kissing and sucking until Steven let out a moan.

“Aahh...Wallace…”

Wallace began to undress, kicking off his underwear and unbuttoning his blouse, but not taking it off. “Steven...be honest, you are not seeing anyone else right now, are you? I don’t want you breaking someone else’s heart.”

“No, no, I promise. I haven’t found it in myself to get intimate with anyone else other than you…” Steven also started to take his own trousers and boxers off. “Um...you aren’t, are you?”

“What do you think,” Wallace scoffed, before pushing Steven down on the bed onto his back.

“I...I don’t know, I thought perhaps you were seeing Winona…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Wallace placed himself on top of Steven, and then he kneeled down to kiss his nipples carefully. “Mmm...Steven, you have no idea how much I’ve missed this.”

“I...ah…” Wallace interrupted his words as he sucked on his nipples, while his hands grabbed onto Steven’s arms on either side. “Wallace…”

“Yes...keep saying my name.” Wallace trailed his lips lower, down to Steven’s abdomen, teasing with more kisses before he placed his head closer between Steven’s legs. “So...look, I’m not suggesting anything about Cynthia, but you haven’t caught any sexually transmitted diseases, have you?”

“N-no! I um…” Steven tensed up a little. “We um...used protection.”

“Well. That’s a relief.” It was strange how now he could accept what had happened, and the most he was concerned about now was a somewhat trivial matter like this. Of course, it was still hurtful at the time. But right now...he didn’t care.

Wallace grabbed onto Steven’s length with one hand, noticing that it had already become notably aroused. After a few strokes to make him live up to his name of being hard as rock, he placed his lips around the shaft before taking him into his mouth. Oh, it felt so good to taste Steven again. The sounds that Steven made were like music to his ears, and it was clear that he had not felt like this for a very long time. Dare he say it, he sounded more passionate than ever in their previous encounters. Steven usually held back when it came to sounds, but this time he had completely let himself go.

“Ohhh, Wallace…!” Steven’s hands landed on Wallace’s head, tugging onto the strands of his hair, feeling the rhythm that Wallace was in full control of. Wallace pushed the sides of his hair away so that they could not get in the way. Steven better have had a good view of this.

Daringly, Wallace pulled out and took a deep breath, before placing Steven in his mouth again, this time trying to take his whole length, even if it meant having to practically choke his own throat out. It wasn’t as comfortable as he hoped it would be, but hopefully it was worth the amount of pleasure that Steven felt. And it sounded like it was, as Steven gasped and moaned even louder when his length went in the whole way. Steven’s legs started to tremble and wrap around tightly on his head. He knew it meant Steven was close, and with a hum of satisfaction, Wallace pulled back slightly to bring only the tip of Steven against his lips as he spread white liquid all around his mouth.

Steven’s chest was full of breath and out of it. He sighed pleasurably as Wallace continued licking off the residue around his dick. “Mmm...Wallace, that was so, so good…”

“I know I’m good.” Feeling his own cockiness return, Wallace smirked and held onto Steven’s hand, still with those heavy rings on. “The best.”

“You can say that again.” Steven pulled Wallace up by his hand, close enough to be at distance to give it a kiss. “Wallace...sit on my chest.” Steven got himself an extra pillow to place on the one his head was previous on, to give it some extra elevation.

“You sure?”

“I can handle it. Don’t worry, I’ve completely recovered.”

Wallace did so, wondering if Steven was going to do what he thought he was about to do. Steven placed his hands on Wallace’s hips, and then his buttocks, pulling him closer until his erection was closer to Steven’s face. It required Wallace to balance himself on his knees a bit, but it was an effort he was willing to put in for this moment. He was already so aroused that Steven didn’t even need to do anything else.

“Wallace…” He could feel Steven’s breath between his legs. “Why...why are you doing this?”

“Because I’m horny and I don’t want to die having had no sex for months,” Wallace hissed. It wasn’t really quite the reason, but he couldn’t deny it had been a long time, and he didn’t want to leave this world without remembering what it felt like to be intimate with someone.

“Good enough for me.” Steven kissed the tip of Wallace’s length, and then just like that, he took Wallace into his mouth, moving his head and neck back and forth to create a motion that pleasured Wallace immensely.

“Ah...Steven…!” Wallace firmly grabbed onto Steven’s hair, guiding it towards him the way he liked it. But it became redundant as soon enough, Wallace used his own hips to thrust into his mouth, eventually picking up a pace quite fast. Hopefully not too intense for Steven to handle. Steven continued holding him by the buttocks, unable to resist squeezing them and pulling Wallace as close to him as possible. It was so exposing to be blown while in this position, even if his unbuttoned blouse was still on him. By now he could feel himself sweating, surrounded by an aura of heat, no doubt because this was the hottest thing moment he’s had in a long time.

Feeling close, Wallace abruptly pulled out of Steven and pushed his head back onto the pillows. He ought to give that overworked neck a rest. Wallace stroked himself fast and moaned, aiming right for Steven’s face. He released an immense load of himself, making his semen drip all over from Steven’s lips, chin, all the way down to his neck…it was so dirty, but he’d be lying if he said Steven didn’t look beautiful like this.

“Wallace…” Steven wiped some of the fluid from his cheek with his fingers and placed it on his mouth, clearly wanting to taste more. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“I didn’t...plan it,” Wallace admitted, sounding a bit shy despite his previous actions. He positioned himself to lay on top of Steven, their bodied aligned together so that finally, their lips were able to meet for a kiss. “That was amazing. Thank you…”

“No, Wallace, it’s you I should thank…” Steven hugged onto him tightly. “For letting me touch you so closely like this...I’ve missed it so much.”

They lay there for a while, the only source of lighting being the lamp on the desk, and the weather outside not appearing to settle down. Wallace wouldn’t have minded if this was the last moment he had of his life, and so he intended to let himself fall asleep just like this. However, Steven continued to talk, clearly not intent on ending the night so soon.

“So...Wallace, you asked where we should go from here.” He did, and while they just had a night of passionate sex, it wasn’t exactly a firm answer. It had occurred to him in that moment that technically, they had just fucked while not officially agreeing to be back together.

Even while he was lost in his thoughts, Steven continued to press on.

“What do you say, Wallace? Do you love me too?”

“I…” Suddenly Wallace didn’t know how to answer. He would have thought all this would lead him to saying yes. He did care for Steven, and clearly his lust for him was still there. He really wanted to say yes, but the crash of emotions happening inside him only made him feel confused. Did he really? Was he willing to give this man another chance?

“...it’s all right, I won’t make you answer. It’s a difficult time. I understand completely.” Steven stroked his fingers through Wallace’s hair delicately. “I’m still grateful for this moment.”

Wallace sighed. He could only feel himself drifting off to sleep, too content in this moment to wonder if he would wake up to see tomorrow.


	8. New world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter what the fate of the world is, Wallace realizes he wants to be with Steven until the very end and beyond.

A burst of light woke Wallace up, who noticed that now the climate had shifted into becoming overly sunny. Perhaps he should have been grateful that they had been spared another day to live, but all Wallace wanted to go was go back to sleep. That was, until he noticed the space next to him was empty.

“Steven?” Wallace immediately got up, trying to see if there were any traces of Steven around the room. His sleeping bag and the rest of his belongings were all gone. Had Steven just left him like that?

Panicking, Wallace quickly put on his underwear and ran towards every other room in the house. He then noticed that in the main room on the table next to the couch, there were Steven’s unforgettable steel rings, along with a letter.

Gasping, Wallace picked up the rings and squeezed his hands around them, before he picked up the letter and began to read the messy writing.

_“Dear Wallace, I’m so sorry to have left in a haste. I didn’t want to wake you up in your peaceful moment of sleep. I didn’t want to interrupt your dreams. I’m also really sorry that I wrote this in a haste._

_Cynthia called again. She’s asking for all the help she can get to stop Team Galactic and their leader from going through with their plans. So...I decided, I cannot sit here and do nothing. I’m headed for Sinnoh. I’d make you come along with me, but I don’t want to put you in any danger. You ought to spend time with those in Hoenn while you still can. I will do everything I can so that we still have a world to live in._

_Last night made me realize what my duties are. I have to do this. I know you’re going to think I am an idiot, and I probably am. But I’m sure there is enough of an outcry in Sinnoh, and Cynthia’s doing a good job gathering as many people to help the cause._

_I super promise, I am not leaving you for her. You are always in my thoughts. I’m doing this for us. Please, give everyone your love while you can. You’ve already given me plenty, so don’t worry about me._

_Steven. x"_

“You idiot!!” Wallace immediately ran back to the bedroom, preparing to get himself dressed in a haste. While he was doing so, he took out his Pokenav to call Winona.

“Hey! What’s up? How are you holding up today?”

“Winona, do you know where Steven is? He just left! He said he was headed for Sinnoh. I need to track him down. Right now.”

“Oh! I...I can call Mr Stone, if you want. Would you like me to do that?”

“Please. I’d do it myself but I have to get prepared and I’m shaking so much. Thank you so much.”

“Of course. You take care of yourself. Don’t do anything reckless!”

The line hung up, And Wallace immediately went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He then combed his hair, figuring there was no time to curl it properly. A quick make-up job was done, only to make himself presentable and not obvious that he was so worried sick to the point of becoming pale.

The Pokenav rang again. “Wallace! I’m sending Steven’s co-ordinates to you right now. He’s no longer in Hoenn but it seems that he is indeed headed for Sinnoh. If you leave right now you might be able to catch him - if you fly!”

“Fly?! I...I don’t have any flying Pokemon! I’ve always travelled by surfing…”

“Wallace, you dumbass! You can’t live in Hoenn without being able to fly and you can’t catch him even with your Milotic and a thousand repels! ...hey, look, I have an idea! Altaria!” Wallace heard only some quiet static before Winona spoke again. “I’ve told Altaria to go over to yours and give you a lift to find Steven, ok?! Aren’t you glad I’m a flying-type gym leader now?”

“Winona...you are the best.” Wallace sighed, even though he was still panicking. “Please stay safe. I will look after Altaria as if they were my own Pokemon.” Winona knew of their updated situation - that Wallace had come to good terms with Steven again, though obviously she didn’t know about what happened last night - for now. “Thank you for being there for me. I love you.”

“No problem! Altaria should be there by now! Good luck finding Steven!”

She was right - he noticed Altaria land outside of his house, even with their Pokeball included. Grabbing his items, along with the accessories that Steven left for him. It was time to go.

Wallace left, and immediately climbed onto Altaria, finding temporary comfort in their soft, cotton wings. “You are a star for doing this. Take me to Steven, I will tell you where to go!”

The Altaria lifted off, flying surprisingly fast. Wallace kept a good track of his Pokenav, hoping that Altaria would outdo the speed that Steven was travelling at. Probably with his Skarmory, if he was also in mid-flight. If the Pokenav tracker was accurate, it looked like there was a chance. Winona sure trained her Altaria well.

Finally, the map was showing some kind of hint of land that belonged to Sinnoh. It looked like Steven was landing in a place where Wallace had no idea about, probably a land in the middle of nowhere, but he didn’t care - all that he was concerned about is that it was where Steven was. It no longer concerned him how uncomfortable all this wind and ridiculously hot weather was. He only realized now that he hadn’t put on his hat yet.

Altaria let out a sound, and then began descending - it seemed like it had found the place.

“You found him? Aaaaah! Quick, let’s go!” It was a bit pointless, since Altaria was clearly flying as fast as they could. He really owned them for their efforts. He promised to feed it a plentiful of berries when they landed.

Altaria landed grandly, though not without giving the ground a bit of a mini sandstorm as it did so. Wallace immediately saw Steven, who had only just put Skarmory back into his Pokeball. He looked a bit confused to see Wallace there. The rest of the place looked completely empty.

Wallace jumped off Altaria, petting its beak and then letting it peck on a bunch of delicious looking berries. “Thank you so much, baby. You were amazingly fast! I’ll put you in your Pokeball and let you rest. I promise with all my heart that you will see Winona again.”

After letting Altaria back into their Pokeball, Wallace ran up to Steven, immediately hugging him.

“Wallace?! How did you-”

“Steven, you are a complete jerk, you know that?!” He said that with enough affection as to not scare him. “You really think I’m going to sit back and do nothing while you put yourself out in danger again? Do you ever learn?!”

“Wallace, please understand, you’ve already been through so much...I-I have to make it up to you…”

“Well that’s twice you have to make it up to me for making me fly all this way for you. Idiot.” Wallace gripped on tightly to Steven’s hands. “I’m not leaving you again. And besides, we stand a better chance if we have two former champions of Hoenn stopping this Team Galactic, don’t we?”

“I...guess, I mean, Wallace. I never doubted your abilities but…”

Wallace gave him a deep kiss. It was quite an effective way to make Steven stop talking when he wasn’t making any sense. “Steven, I’m going with you. This is something we have to do as a team.”

“Wallace...I didn’t think you’d want to. I thought when you couldn’t say you love me, you really wanted it to be over...”

“I love you, Steven.” Wallace realized what an airhead he was for not realizing it sooner. “I love you. I…I love you! I’m in love with you, Steven! I’m in love!”

“Y-you really do?! Steven looked genuinely surprised. “So...that one night...it wasn’t just a one-time thing?”

“If we manage to save the world, then no way.” Wallace pulled the other man into another embrace. “Steven...I’ll never forget how you messed up, but I really want to give us another chance. I want to start over, Steven...I want us to begin our own new life. I want to do everything from the start...have a new first date, fall in love all over again!”

“Wallace...that gives me so much hope.” Steven went in for another kiss, filled with so much burning passion. “You know I’ll always love you, and only you. You mean so much to me. I also want to start over. I love you. I love you more than anything else.”

Wallace almost let himself get lost in the moment, but he remembered there was something else to do. “Steven, you left these.” He took Steven’s hands and placed each steel ring back on his fingers. gently. “You can’t go anywhere without them.”

“I left those as a promise that I’d return. That’d we’d be together again…”

“Well, we are together now, aren’t we?” For Wallace, it didn’t matter whether they’d be reunited by saving the world, or returning to the stars together. Whatever happened, they were no longer alone.

“Then, I also have something to give to you.” Steven took out a familiar item of clothing from his bag - it was the white, scalloped champion cape that Wallace once wandered around in. Steven delicately wrapped the cape around his shoulders, and then had a good look at him. “That cape was always only ever yours. You look like a real champion with it.”

“Steven...I feel young all over again.” Wallace had a rush of nostalgia flowing into him, but he realized there was still something missing. He took his hat out, adjusting it onto his head and making sure his hair looked a decent condition. Finally, the look was complete. It was just like the good old times again.

They were smiling at each other so much right now, but their moment was interrupted when an earthquake shook the land, and the skies suddenly became darker while there was also a piercing flash of light. It looked like the end was drawing nearer, if they were going to stand here idly.

“That doesn’t look good.” Wallace turned around, knowing that there wasn’t much time left for them. “Well, Steven...this is it. It’s now or never.”

“You’re right. Let’s go save the world...together.”

The two trainers gave each other one last look and nodded, before they took each other by the hand and began running towards the light.


End file.
